Article Transport Route Control Using Dynamic Bypass Path Costs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article transport facilities face inefficiencies due to inflexible route selection criteria, which can lead to inappropriate route choices and decreased overall transport efficiency, as they primarily rely on distance and structure costs without considering dynamic conditions like vehicle congestion and path distribution.
Innovation Solution
An article transport facility with a control device that selects routes based on a path cost including distance and structure costs, with the option to adjust costs when specific conditions are met, favoring the bypass path to distribute vehicles more efficiently across primary and bypass paths, thereby optimizing route selection and transport efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the control device selects routes based on fixed path cost criteria (distance and structure costs), then the route selection process is simple and deterministic, but the article transport efficiency decreases when dynamic conditions (such as vehicle congestion) change
Solution Approach 1:
The path cost calculation is made dynamic by introducing a distribution coefficient that adjusts the weight of distance cost and structure cost based on real-time vehicle distribution conditions. When vehicles are concentrated on the primary path, the distribution coefficient changes to reduce the path cost of bypass paths, enabling adaptive route selection that responds to changing traffic conditions rather than relying on fixed criteria
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameters used in path cost calculation from static values to dynamic values that depend on vehicle distribution. The distribution coefficient becomes a variable parameter that modifies the relationship between distance/structure costs and the final path cost, allowing the system to adapt to different traffic scenarios by adjusting these parameters in real-time
2Ease of operation
If the control device always selects the candidate route with the lowest path cost, then the selection criterion is clear and easy to implement, but inappropriate routes may be selected when multiple candidate routes exist and dynamic conditions favor alternative paths
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a distribution coefficient as a dynamic parameter that modifies path cost calculations based on vehicle distribution conditions. This parameter change allows the system to adjust route preferences in real-time, selecting bypass routes when vehicles are concentrated on the primary path, thereby improving the appropriateness of route selections without complicating the basic lowest-cost selection mechanism
3Device complexity
If the control device uses only distance and structure costs for path cost calculation, then the calculation method is simple, but the bypass path is not sufficiently utilized and vehicle distribution becomes unbalanced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention modifies the path cost calculation by introducing a distribution coefficient that dynamically adjusts the weighting of distance and structure costs. This parameter change enables the system to promote bypass path utilization when vehicles are concentrated on the primary path, improving vehicle distribution efficiency while maintaining the simplicity of the underlying cost calculation method
Solution Approach 2:
The path cost calculation transitions from a static method to a dynamic one that responds to vehicle distribution conditions. The distribution coefficient introduces dynamic adjustment capability, allowing the system to balance vehicle loads between primary and bypass paths based on real-time conditions, thereby improving overall transport efficiency without significantly increasing computational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A travel path includes a primary path and a bypass path including at least fewer stations or fewer path intersecting portions than the primary path per unit distance. A control device selects, using a path cost including a distance cost being higher for a greater distance by which article transport vehicles move and a structure cost being higher for a slower speed at which the article transport vehicles move based on a structure of the travel path, a route having the lowest path cost from multiple candidate routes along which a target vehicle is movable from a departure point to a destination point. The control device adjusts, when a predetermined determination condition is satisfied in selecting the route, the path cost of a candidate route following the bypass path to be lower than a path cost used when the predetermined determination condition is unsatisfied.